The present invention relates to crimping devices on paper converting and paper winding machines.
Most tissue paper products such as facial tissue are constructed from two or more tissue paper layers or webs. Multi-ply tissue is made by bringing two or more tissue webs together and forming a single web by joining the individual webs by crimping. The crimping is effected by a plurality of crimping wheels or disks which are spaced, for example, eight to twelve inches apart in the cross machine direction. The crimping wheels or disks run against and are driven by an anvil roll. The peripheral edge of the crimping wheel has a pattern which forms a crimping pattern on the multi-ply tissue which joins together the individual tissue webs when the individual webs pass between a nip formed between the crimping wheel periphery and the anvil roll. The multi-ply tissue web is then slit to form narrower rolls which may be, for example, 16 to 24 inches wide. Facial tissue or the like is then formed from these narrower crimped and split rolls. The crimping wheels are typically mounted on a pivoting mechanism which brings the crimping wheels into engagement with the anvil roll. The pivot mechanism allows simple and rapid opening of the gap between the crimping wheels and the anvil roll which facilitates threading of the tissue webs.
Over time the speed of paper handling equipment has increased in order to reduce production costs. However, existing tissue crimping equipment is not sufficiently rigid to allow operation at higher operating speeds, particularly speeds in excess of 4000 to even 6000 ft. per minute. What is needed is a tissue crimping machine which can operate at higher speeds.